NEVILLEB
Well-Known Member
- Nov 6, 2006
- 6,759
- 6,389
Highest Profit ever from an English Football Club
- Thread starter 0-Tibsy-0
- Start date
Sarsipius
"Show me his legs"
- Jan 18, 2005
- 3,215
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That's a lot of grievances you got there, SK. Have you ever thought about supporting Chelsea?
Sure, I understand the frustration and agree that the emphasis on commercialisation is an ugly facet of what is now a business as much as it is sport, but how much does it affect you? Are you up at the lane most weekends or watching it at home on a free stream? Do you really buy any of the replica kits anymore? They're a fucking rip off but it's not forced on anyone. It's all up to us as supporters to decide whether to pays our monies.
I personally don't go as many live games as I used to and think English football is massively over-priced in general. Perhaps I'm in the minority. But there's very little point in getting too upset by something that's out of one's control. I mean, even if ENIC & Co got bought up by an oil baron tomorrow there's little guarantee that we could actually win the PL anytime soon with Chelsea, Citeh and Man U all able to compete for any player in the game. And even those teams lose their star players from time to time.
Should we be glad to have Levy at the helm? Generally, I think so. We're in a great position to continue to be one of the best teams in the land and attract quality players to the club. Our emphasis on breeding our own talent is finally paying dividends and it looks like there's so much more to come from that. The finances are rosy, the training ground is immense and the stadium looks like its going to be awesome. These all bode well for the future and it's all been one steady upward curve. I'd like to think I'm mature enough to recognise the good work that's been put into the club over the years and realise that we should be pretty grateful for the level headed and economically savvy stewardship we've come to know from the bald one.
Or what else should we do?
Sarsipius
"Show me his legs"
- Jan 18, 2005
- 3,215
- 5,506
Lol. I like the way your ignored it with a spam rating and by mentioning it in your post. Or was that childish sarcasm? I'm so confused!
Well aren't you just the Donald Trump of the home counties. I am impressed.
So there's no fear of you buying up THFC anytime soon then. I think we can all sleep a little easier at night.
What with all your asset stripping success, Francis, I'm only left wondering, why are you such a consistently miserable poster on this forum?
I mean that in the nicest possible way of course
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THFCSPURS19
The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
- Jan 6, 2013
- 37,891
- 130,525
Is @Bus-Conductor vs @Spurger King the SC version of Mayweather vs Pacquiao?
Francis Gibbs
Well-Known Member
- Jul 17, 2012
- 4,326
- 4,569
@Sarsipius excelling yourself tonight with the 'thought of supporting Chelsea' comment to SK and yet more childish sarcasm in response to my post but hey if that sort of contribution floats your boat, sail on .....
When you have actual opinion to contribute message me and I might take you off ignore or maybe for what's left of your sanity, if you find my posts miserable, stick me on ignore.
When you have actual opinion to contribute message me and I might take you off ignore or maybe for what's left of your sanity, if you find my posts miserable, stick me on ignore.
Sarsipius
"Show me his legs"
- Jan 18, 2005
- 3,215
- 5,506
It's called satire, Francis and it's used to demonstrate a point.
I'm surprised someone so successful in business would be so thin skinned. But I guess when you're the boss you don't have to tolerate people pointing out unpleasant truths at your expense. You must be a real joy to work with.
No, don't worry feel free to keep me on ignore but don't forget to keep dishing out the spam ratings.
You're leading the way in the maturity stakes there!
I'm surprised someone so successful in business would be so thin skinned. But I guess when you're the boss you don't have to tolerate people pointing out unpleasant truths at your expense. You must be a real joy to work with.
No, don't worry feel free to keep me on ignore but don't forget to keep dishing out the spam ratings.
You're leading the way in the maturity stakes there!
Spurger King
can't smile without glue
- Jul 22, 2008
- 43,881
- 95,149
I used to be a big admirer of BC's posts. Didn't always agree with them, but it was impossible not to appreciate the care and detail he went into. However, he's become increasingly patronising and leaning towards derisory put-downs, which I certainly don't appreciate.
Not interested in some ongoing 'battle' with him. I just disagree with him on some fundamental points, and don't think he's really understanding my position. I can appreciate the way Levy runs the club without being content to see us plateauing at 5th or 6th.
I also don't fully agree with BC's idea of ENIC's ambition. I think it's a more subtle issue, where ENIC (an investment company) inevitably tries to improve the club in certain ways, but only for the end purpose of selling the club for a profit (I'd be very surprised if people don't recognise that as their masterplan). Of course we benefit - we got a new training ground, regular European football, some great talents, and will be getting a new stadium. I'm not denying that. But we could invest more if the powers that be actually wanted to. We had opportunities to really push on with just a little more investment when Harry was in charge, but neither Levy nor Lewis were interested. Why? Because this club is an investment to them that doesn't command a 'speculate to accumulate' approach. It's not about daring to do (and the riches that might come), but about a bottom line. I don't have an issue with fans being realistic about what we can achieve under our current set-up (as BC implied), but are people really happy to say (after Harry) that this is as good as it gets, so get used to it? Nothing about the history of ENIC, Levy, and Lewis suggests to me that we'll go much further under them (even with the new stadium), but apparently it's wrong/childish/glory-hunting to hope for a better, more successful future for the club.
Oh and @Sarsipius - I've always liked you as a poster (hard not to when your avatar is from one of the best films of all time), but the Chelsea remark was below the belt. I've stuck by this club through the whole of the 90s, and go to games at every opportunity I get. In truth, I'm becoming increasingly indifferent to modern football in general...not just Spurs...but I'll never give up on the club, and I'll never stop dreaming of seeing us rise to the top.
Lilbaz
Just call me Baz
- Apr 1, 2005
- 41,363
- 74,893
Bsodls and Wanckers. Can we all unite and just say. We wish that a mad Sheikh would have bought us instead of Sugar (let alone Levy).
What could have been?
Maybe nicked Fergie from Man Utd. Kept our merchandising guy.
We could have bought Brazilian Ronaldo, or Shearer. Maldini, Baggio...
We could have built a hundred thousand seat stadium. With marble columns and proper cisterns which you could do charlie off of.
Champions league, premiership, fa cup etc... they'd have all been ours.
Abramovich would have taken one look at us and decided to buy a german team.
Arsenal fans would have cried. Henry would have joined us on a free transfer.
But I guess it didn't. And it's not likely to.
So we have to get by. Good and bad.
What could have been?
Maybe nicked Fergie from Man Utd. Kept our merchandising guy.
We could have bought Brazilian Ronaldo, or Shearer. Maldini, Baggio...
We could have built a hundred thousand seat stadium. With marble columns and proper cisterns which you could do charlie off of.
Champions league, premiership, fa cup etc... they'd have all been ours.
Abramovich would have taken one look at us and decided to buy a german team.
Arsenal fans would have cried. Henry would have joined us on a free transfer.
But I guess it didn't. And it's not likely to.
So we have to get by. Good and bad.
Spurger King
can't smile without glue
- Jul 22, 2008
- 43,881
- 95,149
We're getting by very well, all things considered.
Still won't stop me from wanting the club to be in a position to win more than one trophy every decade. The game has changed a lot over the last few years, and if you're not loaded, you're just making up the numbers. The rich clubs just get richer due to the CL structure, so at some point we need to get to the next level. Or we can just curl up and let our ambition die like a bunch of small fry also rans.
Sarsipius
"Show me his legs"
- Jan 18, 2005
- 3,215
- 5,506
Come on pal, it was a gentle dig nothing more. I qualified it with quite a long response. Why is everyone so tetchy tonight? Have you all synchronised periods or something?
Ultimately, it's senseless to become unhappy by something as capricious as the fortunes of a football team and if we are genuinely to attribute so much importance to it then probably we should make sure we're supporting only the most successful team. Hence the joke.
But therein lies the rub. Being a football fan isn't just about supporting the winning team. Even glory doesn't equate to just winning. It's about so much more than that. How about the camaraderie between people united by their geographical proximity. A bond between men and women on an near tribal level. Watching young men representing your area go out and play a football game to the best of their ability. Even the banter and songs of opposing fans. The thrill and buzz of a goal scored and jointly celebrated by some thirty thousand voices in chorus? What does it fucking matter if your team don't win the league? It's a game, that played in the right way and right spirit should always be a joy to watch. But the real test of the supporter is not crying about it when it doesn't go exactly how we want it. And that's fundamentally what differentiates adults from children. Maturity.
I actually feel sorry for this increasing trend of dissatisfied football fans, and especially so in our club when we have so much to be happy for (as consistently pointed out). I'm sure it's a result of an instant gratification culture that we've adopted coupled to the ever increasing price of football tickets/merchandise but also I think it's a lot of unhappy people projecting their life's grievances onto their football team. From a psychology point of view this is a rich discussion.
Feel free to be unhappy or disillusioned by all means, Spurger, but don't try to make out that others lack your 'ambition' if they're happy within themselves and aren't complaining about some supposed lack of desire from the board to achieve more. It's nonsensical.
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beats1
Well-Known Member
- Feb 22, 2010
- 30,026
- 29,600
I feel skeptical that we will do it over the next couple of seasons
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Spurger King
can't smile without glue
- Jul 22, 2008
- 43,881
- 95,149
I guess when I'm banging my head against the wall it's with the faint hope that I'll one day break through, rather than just deciding to enjoy the constant pain and disappointment.
Every chance I get to go to a Spurs game (which is admittedly not often these days) I cheer on the team as much as possible. Never booed. Never shouted at a player. Never failed to clap the team I love off the pitch regardless of the performance or result. That's support and maturity, so if you and BC want to suggest otherwise due to some negative comments on a football forum, knock yourselves out on your own fabricated smugness.
You say it like it's a piece of piss, how much money would a potential buyer have to pump into to make it to the top 4?
You've seen the way he sells players, he isn't going to be selling the club on the cheap.
ultimateloner
Well-Known Member
- Jan 25, 2004
- 4,569
- 2,203
On top of buying the club at whatever price, the squad will need 100m to become top 4 quality (in transfer fees and wages).
I assure you there wont be a shortage of buyers. It is not alot of money on a corporate context. RBS just pissed away 400m in 1 quarter for example.
ultimateloner
Well-Known Member
- Jan 25, 2004
- 4,569
- 2,203
This is very well written but the alternative of being owned by a rich individual has its own problems. Imagine if we become the next Chelsea. Given financial constraints imposed on clubs nowadays the benefits of a better squad may not be worth becoming an owner's play thing (randomness, dis-regarding traditions/fans etc). If you think tickets are expensive now a new owner (likely foreign) will make it higher because the more cosmopolitan the club gets the more exposure he gets (the kind he likes).
Lilbaz
Just call me Baz
- Apr 1, 2005
- 41,363
- 74,893
How much have QPR spent in the last couple of years? They're likely to get relegated.
City have spent over £1bn and will probably finish 4th.
Liverpool in the last 3 years have probably spent £300m and will be lucky to finish 5th.
£100m not a lot of money? Give me £1m then please. You wont even notice it.
ultimateloner
Well-Known Member
- Jan 25, 2004
- 4,569
- 2,203
It's not about me though is it? 100m is alot for norml people. Potential club owners/rich businessman are not normal. Besides haven't the RBS example put this into corporate context?
Lilbaz
Just call me Baz
- Apr 1, 2005
- 41,363
- 74,893
No. It's about context. RBS and Tesco may suffer losses of a few £billion because their assets and turnover are in the hundreds of billions. If Spurs lost £100m they are fucked because their turnover is less than double that.
There are very few people willing to throw £100m away on the chance it might bring success. Most of them already own football clubs. And even then with FFP they are limited to what they can splash.
It might happen. But it is no guarantee of anything even if it does. Our turnover is £180m. Arsenal is £282m, Chelsea £303m, City £316m, Utd £423m. £100m will only just bring us equal to Arsenal for one season. They earn that every year.
Sorry if I was a bit blunt (late night last night). But we are not going to compete financially for a while, even if we do get new owners. We have to do it smart. Get the new stadium. Develop players. Buy well. Have a good manager. Hope someone fucks up. Then get into the Cl. Then try and stay there. £100m would help if we got the right players. But what if we spent it on another Soldado/Paulinho/Lamela?
Can we compete financially with Everton? What about Hull City? West Ham? Or is matching the transfer spending of these clubs simply beyond us until 2020 and beyond? And if that's the case, why would any highly rated player like Lloris, Kane, or Eriksen stay at the club in the long term, when they can earn more money at bigger clubs that will aim to improve their playing squads at all costs?
There is a price to be paid for austerity. People who think we can maintain our current position indefinitely, while the club have a strict buy to sell philosophy for the next 5 years, while clubs behind us spend 200+ million pounds NET improving their playing squads, are going to be in for a real shock soon. We have to engage in a modicum of net spending to maintain our place as the best of the rest going forward. In the past, with limited television income, we could probably get away with clever sales balanced by clever purchases with a strict ceiling of transfer fees not to exceed sales. But that time has come and gone in my opinion.
Now, some may say they are perfectly happy to go backwards a bit towards 8th-12th if it means a fully paid off stadium come 2020, but this would unquestionably cost ENIC equity in the value of the club, diminish the commercial appeal of the brand, create apathy amongst potential season ticket holders, and open the door for others to establish themselves as the best of the rest.
Furthermore, there are ZERO guarantees that ENIC will engage in heavy spending once the stadium is built.
There is a price to be paid for austerity. People who think we can maintain our current position indefinitely, while the club have a strict buy to sell philosophy for the next 5 years, while clubs behind us spend 200+ million pounds NET improving their playing squads, are going to be in for a real shock soon. We have to engage in a modicum of net spending to maintain our place as the best of the rest going forward. In the past, with limited television income, we could probably get away with clever sales balanced by clever purchases with a strict ceiling of transfer fees not to exceed sales. But that time has come and gone in my opinion.
Now, some may say they are perfectly happy to go backwards a bit towards 8th-12th if it means a fully paid off stadium come 2020, but this would unquestionably cost ENIC equity in the value of the club, diminish the commercial appeal of the brand, create apathy amongst potential season ticket holders, and open the door for others to establish themselves as the best of the rest.
Furthermore, there are ZERO guarantees that ENIC will engage in heavy spending once the stadium is built.
Lilbaz
Just call me Baz
- Apr 1, 2005
- 41,363
- 74,893
We've been paying for the stadium and training ground for the last 5 years (to the tune of almost £200m). We have spent net £0 on players.
We have dropped a bit. But that was mostly by blowing the bale money.
Where you see this as a criticism, i see it as how well we have done. Once the stadium is built we will actually have money to spend on players. There is no guarantee of success but i think we have a good chance.
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